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"Mmmmm… Treacle tart. Haven't had these in ages."
"It's only been a few weeks." Hermione corrected primly. "And we don't have everything every night. With the way that you're carrying on I would think Professor Dumbledore is punishing you."
"He is." Harry said a bit sadly. No matter how terrible the old man was, Harry found that he was still quite fond of him. The heart was a stupid, stupid organ. "Haven't had these since I passed my O.W.L.s."
"Why?" Ron demanded.
At the same time Hermione made an exasperated, disbelieving noise. "If Professor Dumbledore was punishing you he would just give you a detention and take house points. Thinking that he'd do away with treacle tarts just to punish you is stupid!"
Well. There was no way Harry was going to admit that Professor Dumbledore was in a snit because Harry had decided to change the timeline, stolen his wand back, refused to let Dumbledore rifle through his brain, was in the process of making him return Harry's property, and definitely was not going to let the old man kill him.
"I don't think he likes me" Harry said instead.
"Still upset about the Sorting Feast I expect" Ron said knowledgeably. "Sooner or later he'll see how funny it was and forgive you. That's how it always works with the twins."
Hermione frowned. Neville just looked worried.
Harry tried to smile. "I expect you're right."
After that Sirius began spending most of his time outside of Hogwarts. Harry did not inquire too closely but wherever he was going and whatever he was doing it had a lot to do with his own freedom and getting Peter tried and convicted.
"Hey! Cedric!" Harry shouted as soon as he left his private Transfiguration lesson. The boy in question obligingly swung around to face Harry. Two boys and three girls that Harry was only marginally familiar with turned to face him too.
Harry jogged over to meet the fourth year. "A word?"
Cedric nodded and moved slightly away from the others and towards Harry. "What's up?"
Harry grinned cheerfully. "I challenge you to quidditch after the last class and before the holidays."
Cedric blinked. "Hufflepuff versus Gryffindor? We already –"
Harry shook his head. "No no no!" He interrupted. "A friendly game. Anyone from any House can come to play on either team. You and I'll be captains and we'll pick teammates."
Cedric grinned. "That'll be fun. Gonna send 'round an announcement?"
Harry shook his head. "Nah. We'll just do it with word of mouth. It'll be more fun."
"And the Slytherins won't have as much time to complain."
Harry grinned. "That too. Flint's still a bit sore over me catching the snitch with my mouth."
Harry was excited about his upcoming pick-up game for the rest of the day. He whistled his way down to dinner.
"Don't listen to him" Hermione was saying comfortingly to Ron when Harry joined them. "It's just Malfoy."
Flint was not the only Slytherin that was still irritated with Harry. Draco, although friendly to Harry's face, took his irritation out on the other first year Gryffindors. Both the Slytherins and the Gryffindors were good enough not to tell Harry about it. But Harry had sharp ear and after six years of open enmity with Draco, he could easily guess what the bratty ferret was saying and doing.
Harry plopped down on the bench across from Ron and Hermione and next to Neville.
"What'd Malfoy say to Ron?"
"Something about people who stay at Christmas not being wanted at home."
The echoes between the timelines were sort of dizzying.
"Is he really being awful?" Harry asked Neville in an undertone.
Neville startled then hesitantly nodded. "I know he's your friend Harry" Neville said earnestly. "But he's still a prat. Don't worry about it though."
Harry frowned but changed the subject. "Pick up quidditch on the last day of classes. Anyone in?"
Of course that immediately got everyone's attention. Word echoed up and down Gryffindor table: Harry Potter had challenged Cedric Diggory to an informal game of quidditch and did anyone want to show up for the teams?
"Do we have to be on a House team?" A fifth year named Brandon Lynch called down the table to Harry.
"Course not!" Harry called back. "It's not a proper inter-House game. Anyone can play on either team."
This earned a dull roar of excited speculation from the Gryffindor table. Harry was almost sorry when dessert came and it was time to go eat with the Slytherins. If he missed too many desserts with them, they might get used to his absence though. And that went against Harry's plans for inter-House unity.
So Harry trudged over to the Slytherin table. Draco saw Harry coming but did not scoot over to give him room. Instead LeStrange waved him over. Harry found himself seated with LeStrange in his circle of fifth years. Harry helped himself to a piece of chocolate cake as Jeremiah LeStrange and his friends exchanged Christmas plans. They were excited but in that still way that older Slytherins acquired. It was all in their eyes, Harry decided as he helped himself to a piece of pie, and maybe their body language. They certainly were not as noisy as the Gryffindor fifth years.
So Harry listened to them and watched them. LeStrange seemed especially close with a boy named Kevin Noxias but he seemed comfortable with the others. Dagwood Larkins, the boy he had helped against the troll, kept shooting Harry speculative looks. Harry also learned that the Malfoys, the Greengrasses, the Crabbes, the Parkinsons, the LeStranges, the Larkinses, the Zabinis, and a bunch of pureblooded families that Harry was unfamiliar with were all having Christmas and New Year's parties. Apparently the invitations had either gone out or were soon going out. Most of the boys seemed to be planning on being invited to most of those parties.
"What about you Harry?" Jeremiah LeStrange asked.
"Pick up quidditch game as soon as classes are over. You're welcome to come if you'd like."
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